Improvement in electrical indicators



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AUNrI'En STATES PATENT OFFroE.

SAMUEL sLAws, or New YORK, N. Y.'

IMPROVEMET IN ELECTRICAL INDICATORS.

Specijcaton forming part of Letters Patent No. 72,742, dated December 3l, 1867.,4

'being had to the accompanying drawing.

The invention relates to [an apparat-us or instrument for indicating or's'ignaling, by means "ofan electric current acting through one o1 t more electro-magnets and suitable mechanism, A

any desirediniormation orintelli'gence respect' ing the iluctuations of th'e market rates of gold,

paper money, Government'and railroad stocks,

bonds, and commodities of anyand all kinds Idealt in at the various boards and exchanges,

and in the variousmarkets ofthe world;` alsoy for indicating and conveying any information or intelligence of whatever kind, which, for

l being indicated or signaled at anyone or more points, requires the useat such point or points' u l upon horizontal center-shaft, B, supported of a drum, wheel, tablet, dial-face, blackboard, card, bands, disks, plates, or any other surfacev suitable for thus indicating lintelligence byj itself alone or byimpressions taken therefroun or in any other suitable manner.

The most importantand principal featuresi in the apparatus embraced bythe present in-fI vention consist in providing for the indicating' 'wheels or wheel, disk, tablet, dial, index-handI or pointer, or other equivalent device or de- 'vices`, such a mechanism that it or they, as thief case may be, can, by the action ofthe electrical;

current, be moved by bein'g'revolved or otherarranged to go, whatever may be the strength of the current, the force or s'ud'denne's's of theI impulse producing the effect, or 'the length of time it may remain unbroken and in action; and likewise, such a mechanism that, the conducting wires for the electrical current being properly arranged, the wheel or l"indicating device can, with great rapidity and with equal facility and accuracy, be moved or revolved in either of opposite directions, backward or forward, to or fro, up or down, according as" may furtherinore,'siich a mechanism that, when the current is broken and the mechanism returns to or recovers its original or position of rest, the movement'or change produced inthe indieating-wheel or device, by the `action of the current, is lleft unaltered and in its perfect integrity, undisturbed by any reaction 0f the Working parts or recoil of the operating force, as will be hereinafter more full y described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1v is a view of the front end ofthe casingor boxl containing the indicating wheel 'or device;

Fig. 2, an end view ot' the indicating wheel, Snc., with the outer casing or box to the same removed; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section,"taken in the plane of the'line w x, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4., a face or front view of a key-board, suitable for operating the indicating wheel or apparatus, shown in the preceding figures.

A in the drawings represents a wheel hnng at each end by nprights C, within a suitableshaped. boX or casing, D, so as to revolve'or turn in a vertical plane. Upon and around the periphery of this wheel A tigures from 0 to f 9, inclusive,y are located at regular' and equal distances apart, a portion of which figures are shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings.

yEHa ratchet or toothed wheel, attached to the center tube F, of wheel A, so as toturn in conjunction therewith, this toothed wheel 'being provided with teu teeth corresponding in position relatively to the ten iigures ofthe indicating wheel or device. I' l` I Gr ,Gr2 are two similarly-shaped levers, each hung in the bottom of the box or casingDby separatehorizo "lerum-shafts H H2, so as to tur'n 'or' 'svvln l"Vertical plane, toward and away from the edgeof the ratchet-wheel E, aroundwhich the curved or circularrportions, l, of such levers pass, the one upon one andv the other uponlthe other side of the saine, but at some distance therefrom, as shown'in Fig. 3 ofthe drawing.

J J2, movable pawls hung to the upper ends of levers GG?, one to each lever, so as to swing thereon, to which pawls, by one end, the spiral springs A are secured, extending therefrom to the said levers, where at their other ends they are fastened. b, stop-pins for the pawls J J2.

'teries employed, through one and theV same,

2 y L o '72,742

i K-.K2 are angular-shaped stop or holding4 ,pawls, hung at their angle, c, upon fulcrum-' pins d of the stationary arm-piece L of one of the uprights, one upon each side of the ratchetwheel E, with the teeth of which, when such wheel is` stationary, they` are both engaged through theirshoulders f, and are there held by the action of the spiral or coiled springs g, suitably connected withthe same at their upper ends. i

M M2 are connecting or pitmau rods, pivoted at one end to the lower. ends .of the stop-pawls KK2 respectively, from which they extend, crossing each other to the levers G G2, respectively, to which, by headed studs or'pins. l., they are hung by their elongated longitudinai slots; i N N are fixed stops or rests `for theleversv 'G G2, tolimit their backwardmovement from theratchet-wheel. I A j ilhelevers G G2, vattheir Vlower endsand; below their'fulcrum-shafts, are eachprovidedi with anarmature1002 respectively`,-'for which :electro-magnets BP2 are securedin chamber@` Qbelow. the casing D, one magnet for Ieach @armature One poleof each set of the electro-v Amagnets P `P2 is jconnccted with `the.` corre-y 'sp'onding pole of the battery or series of l,bat-5 i wire, as is shownby the lines niarked'NortN? inthe drawings, while the otherpolesof each;y

set are respectively con nected through separa tei A wires, marked South andi Southwintheiv drawings, to the buttons R R2`of the key-1 i board S. i.

S2 is aswitch-key, hung to key-board,v so as tol Iturn thereon, and in` properlposition' for beingj ibrought byits outer endover or 4upon either, one of the buttons 1t R2, according as maybe,

desired, and for a purpose to fbehereinaften described. i L -With thefulcrum orcenter-pin ofthe switchr` `key S2 upon the back side ofA thekeyfboard,` one end of a wire,U, is c0nnected,which is extended and so connected as to form a con `tinuous communication through the serieso buttons V rupon the front side ofthe key-board@ These buttons are arranged atequal distances *,apart, in the form of a circle, and are ten inf number, corresponding to the number of -teethli on the ratchetwheel, figured both outside and? inside .of the buttons `from `0- .to 9,inclusive,` with the number .upon @inside of each but- 1 ,ton one ,less in quantity .than that upon the; outside of the samebuttont" Wis a'key, hung uponiapivot orpin,X, at; the center oi' the circle dscribedbyithe seriesl `of buttons V, this key being of suicient lengthg to be brought over or upon the said buttons;V

V, and at its` center pivot X, behind-the keyboard, itis connected, througha Swire,4to they opposite pole of the battery to thatwith which@r 'the wire from the two sets oi' magnets was con nected, as before described, which 'wire i marked ,South in the drawings. f

' From the above description it is apparent that 4if the key W be brought over either oneof thei two -bnttons V, ybetween which its outer end may happen to be placed, with the switch-key through such .magnet `causes the armature Ov or O2, as the case may be, to be drawn toward the same and there held so long as the circuit is thus established, or, in other words, until it is broken by either turning the switch-key or the other key suitably therefor.

By the attraction of the armature toward the electro-magnet, as has been just above stated, the,upright lever carrying thev armature thus attracted, isconsequently swung upon its fnlcrum towardtbe ratchet-wheel, with the proper toothsof which, inasmuch as the curve of its revolution cuts the curve of theratchet-wheel, fthe spring -pawl `hungjto said lever at its upper end becomesgthereby engaged', `revolving fthe wheel' in a corresponding direction thereto,

t'o Aaliow of which movement the shoulder of "the` stop-pawlupon the opposite side of the ratchet-wheel tothatof theleve'r which is actil,1g,.is` lWithdrawn or pushed Cfrom the path of the ratchetfwheehbybeing swung on `itsfuly crum d, throughltheaction of 'the connecting for pitman-,r0d, operated by the said lever the lpointofJgthepztwl ot' the lever not actin gstands at restv without the path of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel'.

y,Bythe movement of the ratchet-wheel above describedlthe stoppawl upon the same side of the'lever thenoperatin g, isswun g` uponits fulcrum, dfby the actionof the' ratchet-.Wheel against ftheiinner edge of .its shoulder, until the said'wheel' has revolved thedistance of one tooth, when, by theaction of the spiral spring gto such stop-pawl, the yshoulder is thrown under Vand behindtthetoothof the-wheel in A,position `therefor-inn'nediately 4on its ypassing over the' shoulder, while it isiheld by the shoulder j' and prevented from` moving back 5 the other stop-pawl, as its shoulder is removed from the, path f of Ithe ratchet wheel bythe pitman-rod of the actin glever, as above explained, to allow the ratchet-wheel to tnrn,;being thus thrown,and at theproper moment, byits upper arm, iufm `the path of the Vratchetwheel teeth and andfbe'fore the proper `one@.sitothe same, jstopstheifurther advance or revolution of such wheel,1dri,ven' by the'leverqpawlthen engaged with `it,"beyoud the distance ot' one ftoothgwhetherthe.electricalcurrent acts upon the armatureof s'uchlever for a greater or less 'length of time or witha greater or less suddenness 4and amount of force.

`In `thisfne'wgposition it will'be observed :that

dthe ratchet-wheel *E is `frmly held `by the shoulder ot' `the stop-pawl f o n the side ofthe actiuglever, and the upper end offthe other stop-,pawl f, solongas, and whatever maybe,

the force with which the armature` :remains at- 'tracted.y

If the circuit is 'now broken the attractive power of the electro-magnet then of course ceases, which, setting the armature of such magnet free, allows thelever, carrying the armature thus released on one end and such pawl on the other endto come back toits original position. This is accomplished bythe recoil ot' the spiral spring g, attachedto the stoppawl connected by the pitinan-rod with said lever, which-spring g, as it withdraws such stoppawl from the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, throws or moves the lower end of the pawl toward the said lever, throwing its shoulder under the proper' tooth and through the connecting rod for the lever, swings such lever in a correspondin g direction, carrying its armature away from the magnet, and its upper end, having the pawl,back to its original position; the said lever-pawl as it thus moves back over the ratchet-wheel, by being pivoted to the lever, is allowed to relieve itself, while, at the same time, its spring a bringsy it to its proper -position of rest against the stop-pin l.

As the lever is thrown back to its original position as above described, any force exerted by it, through its pawl .upon the ratchet-'wheel to turn the same, is resisted by the shoulder of the stop-pawl, then under one ot the teeth of the said Wheel, whereby the engagement of the shoulder of the other stop-pawl, the spring of which, g, is then acting to throw the vertical lever back, is insured,as by such backward action of the leverpawl upon the ratchet wheel the proper tooth of such wheel is, to that eX- tent, held to its seat upon the stop pawl shoulder therefor, and thus the wheel is kept in proper position for the shoulder ofthe other stop-pawl to 'engage itself therewith.

In order to prevent the movement of the stop-paw] which is immediately acted upon by the teeth of the revolving ratchet-wheel from moving the lever, to which it is connected by a rod, m or m2, from a state ot' rest, and by drawing it toward the ratchetwhecl, causing its movable pawl to interfere therewith, such rod, m or m2, is slotted at its end where hung to the lever, so as to allow it suficient play therein for thc shoulder ofl the said stop-pawl to swing out of and into the circular path of the ratchet-wheel, as stated, without exerting any force on the lever to which it is attached. When, therefore, either lever G or G2 acts, the other lever remains at rest and entirely out of its way, so much so is this the case, that were either lever, G or G2, with its pawl, pitman-rod, armature, t'ulcrum, andv magnet. removed en tirely away, what remains would be a complete mechanismvfor the remaining lever to produce movement, with all the above-described characteristics, in a single direction.

From the above description of the arrangef ment and action of the levers G G2, it is apparent that when operated the ratchet-wheel will, with equal facility and precision of move ment, be by them driven in either of opposite directions and the indicating wheel or device be moved or revolved correspondingly, according as the circuit is established through either oneor the Aother of the electro-magnets, by placing the switch-key S2 either upon one or the other of the buttons It R2 of the keyboard.

It' now the position of the indicating wheel, with reference to the glass front of the casein which'it is hung, be so adjusted that when the key Wis upon any numbered button of the key-board, such number of the wheel will be displayed at the glass front, but no other, and so on, correspondingly in every case, as the key is moved from one Ybutton of the key-board to another oi' a different number in either direction, it is thus manifest that by a proper manipulation ofthe key W' in connection with the electrical current through the wires, whether the switch-key is used or not, (provided, however, the vnecessary connection 4of wires with the electro-magnets is established, as is now the case when such switch-key is either over one or the other ofthe buttons lt I) any desired figure upon the indicati n g-wheel to which the keyboard-is, to properly correspond, can be shown or exhibited at the glass front of the case surrounding such'wheel.

It' the figures on the outside of the buttons V be presented when the switch-key S2 is on R2 as the key W turns, say to the right, then by always passing the key `Wentirely over the button with which it is brought into contact, it' the switch-key S2 be placed on its button R as the switch W is moved to the left, the inside' numbers will be in like manner brought to view on the face of theinstrument, and so con v ersely,

so that the operator, whether he bring about the forward or backward movement, always knows from his keyboard the figure or character brought before the aperture ofthefront of theinstrument; in other words, knowsprecisely the intelligence conveyed or indicated by the instrument.

In the adaptation of my invention as hereinabove described particularly to any one of the many purposes for which it may be employed, the most important ot' which have been here inbet'ore enumerated, the number of wheels or indicating' devices is, of course, to be few or many, as occasion may require, foran illustration of which, let it be supposed that an electrical indicator is to be constructed for quoting the goldmarket.

In this case for a practical working-machine it is best to use four wheels, or indicating devices, arranged alongside in the same casing, in such a manner as to move or revolve independently of each other, the front ofthis casing having an aperture through which may be seen, on a horizontal vline as though written on a blackboard, only one figure ot' each drum at the saine time, so that ifthe rst drum to the left show l, the next 3, and the third'S, and the fraction-drum g, then the number seen will be 138g; a

The first three of these wheels or drums, from left to right, are on the hundreds, tens,

'and units places, Vand are numbered with the figures, 1u any order or arrangement, from '0 to 9, inclusive, while the last wheel to the right, or fourth wheel, is numbered or figured with the fractions, the order, however, being merely a matter of convenience, fg, 9;, .l, ej, 5,?, 7g, with a blank space, say between gg and 5,-, so that the fractions may be entirely turned from view, leaving in sight only the integer Iigures. The usual iluctua-tion of the goldmarket is by eighths, a rule of the New York gold-exchange forbidding a changeoi' the market-rate of less than one-eighth in its public dealings.

The ratchet-wheel, for the movement of each drum,must have a number of teeth 'correspon ding to the integer or fractional figures on the vperiphery of its drum. `The ratchet-wheel for each of the first three drums must, therefore, have at least ten teeth, or a multiple of ten, and of the fourth drumveight teeth, or amultiple of eight, as there are seven fractions and a vacant space on the fourth drum and ten gures or digits on each of the others. When Vthe number of teeth on the ratchetwheel is the same as the number of figuresl on the face of the drum, then a single movement throws one iigure of the drum moved from view and another to view. lf the teeth be double the number, then two movements are necessary; if three ti1nes,then three movements, and so on. Hence, a complete change from one figure to another may be effected by one movement, or as many more as may be desired. Other ,things being equal, the greater the number of movements of the ratchet-wheel in traveling thus over a given space, or in turning one number from view and another to view, the less the distance is, proportionately, to be traveled over by the armature on the shorter end of the lever, each attraction of its magnet being thereby rendered the more effective, according to a well-known law.

For each wheel a separate systemor arran gcment of operating devices, electro-magnets, Src., similar to that described for the single wheel or drum, is employed, and corresponding to each drum and num bered relatively thereto,-

a separate key-board is provided, when, as is obvious, by a proper manipulation of the keys ofthe several key-boards, any and every possible iluct'uation, permutation, or combination of numbers, with fractional variations of eighths, can beindicated by the wheels within the power of the units places occupied by said wheels. For instance, in quoting-gold, suppose that, being` at 13S, it should vary therefrom, either in an upward or downward direction by one-eighth, say 138g or to 137%. By operating, in the lst case, the key for the fractional wheel or drum, is turned to view, the other drum remainingstationary, so that the number read on the face of the instrument is 138g-, and in thc second case by operating the key of the units drum, 8 is thrown from view and 7 is brought to view, and by the key of the fractions-drinn 7; is turned to view, the drums of the tens and hundreds places having remained at rest, so that the number seen on the face of the instrument is 137%; and so in all possible cases where the variation is not less than oneeighth, it making no difference how much greater it may be, by properly operating the keys of fractional,units,ltens, and hundreds places, every possible fluctuation and price between 0 and 999g, not necessarily inseries at all, but in any conceivable or possible order, can be shown by these fourv drums or wheels with accuracy and promptness.

As the number of units places that may be thus occupied by figured drums, and the fractional divisions practicable, especially if the decimal system be used, are without any as'- signable limit, this system of numerical indication has no assignable limits as tolquautity, and, being operated by electricity, its celerity should be unsurpassed.

The figures thus changed independently on each units place are upon the ultimate analysis of the principle on which numbers are formed absolutely exhaustive of the number of units of such units place that can be taken or used in the formation ot' any number, and as my `in,

strument takes advantage `of this principle, hence its capacity. The advantage of the double action of the mechanism is seen in the simple case above given, where, in passing'from g to Jg, only two `movements are necessary, whereas without the double action it might require six; and in changing from 8 to 7 only one movement is necessary instead of nine; Bein g equally able to move in either direction the operator can, like the fluid he manipulates, otherthings being equal,`choose the shortest and quickest path to the resulthe seeks. Suppose the market, as is often the case, fluctuating on an eighth, up and down, onemoment say gold is 1382;, the next 1389 then 138%, and so on, perhaps varying only two or three eighths for hours and even days; the abbre-v viations of the work required of the machine in` such cases, and theyoften occur, by the double movement, are most obvious and striking. The fact is, the practical use of the inl strument upon the exchanges would be comparatively slow,cumbersome, and unsatisfactory without this peculiar feature in its movements, at least for the units Vand fractions places. The drums on the tens and hundreds places are so very seldo'm'changed in quoting gold, (never being used on a seesawing fluctuation, as is the drum of the units place, when, for example, the market is, say, 139% to 140, at one moment 0 being required, at the next 9, and so on, upon the units plaee,') that it is not deemed necessary to provide the'dou'ble action for tens and hundreds places. Butit' is -to be particularly observed that the mechanis'moi" my invention is such, as above remarked, that either lever, with its pitman, fulcrum, armature, and magnet, may be taken entirely away, an'd what remains is a complete mechanism for operating with the remaining lever, in one direction. Hence, it is a matter of simple convenience which lever, if either, may be dispensed with, the omission, of course, economizin g, to that extent, the cost of the construction of the instrument, or, when provided with the double action, it is entirely the operators pleasure whether he will use one or both. The electrical indicator, therefore, may be arranged partly for double action and partlyfor single action, or, it may be provided throughout for double action, and the use of the double or single action in any or all of its parts depends entirely on the operators pleasure.

It is thus plain that all the instruments operated by the same current or currents that operate the instrument in the gold-exchange itself, located wherever they may be, in offices, banking-houses, counting-rooms, hotels, &c., will at the same instant quote the iiuctuations of the market, and that, too, the instant they occur. It isa matter of the greatestimportance to a business man to know of any change in a market where he has an interest, the moment it occurs 5 yet this is impracticable by the present slow, expensive, and inaccurate method by the use of messengers. Before amessengerboy can report it, even a square distant,the market will often have advanced or declined several points. My instrument proposes, to the extent of its use, to obviate this great inconvenience and source of perplexity and loss. What is thus true of the gold is true of all other exchanges, and the 4electrical indicator can be made to subserve the wants of any of them.

Although I have herein illustrated my invention by its special application in indicating the price of gold, I wish it to be distinctlyv understood that I do not intend to limit myself to any one particular application of the same, as with modifications, either more or less slight but in no degree or manner affecting the principle of its operation, the purposes for which it may be used are almost unlimited in number.

It will be here observed that, in lieu of an indicating-Wheel, a tablet may be employed, or a dial-face with index-hand or pointer, or a flat wheel or disk, or any other suitable form of indicator, the form depending upon the nature of the purpose to which my invention may be applied; that, furthermore, in lieu of figures being marked on the indicating-wheel or device employed, letters or any other symbols or characters may be used, according as may be desired, and that, also, in lieu of the wheel or other device used for the purpose, indicating or showing by itself alone, it may be done through the means of an impression,

ror of impressions taken from such wheel, &c.,

at the proper time and point.

In conclusion it may be here stated that by the arrangement of parts for operating the indicating-Wheel or other device, its movement, under the action of the electrical current, is positive and direct, without the intervention 4or aid of any clock-Work or maintaining power,

however short or long a time it may be in connection with the operating parts, and that furthermore, when the circuit is broken, the operating devices resume their original position without interfering with the position to which the said indicating-wheel or device had been previously brought, and, also, that the operating devices are such that the indicatingdrum, index-hand,or device can, with equal accuracy and facility, be moved in opposite directions at the option of the operator, all important features and results for the practical operation of the machine.

Having thus described my invention, what v I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. An electromagneticindicatingapparatus or instrument Whose indicating or working device can, by means of a single toothed Wheel and suitable mechanism, such as described, or its equivalent, be moved step by step in either of opposite directions at will, in the manner and for the purposes specied.

2. The lever G or G2 having an armature at one end and a spring-pawl, J or J2, at the other, the spring stop-pawls K K2, the connecting rods` M M2, and the toothed wheel E, when all combined and arranged together substantially and so as to operate as and for the purpose specied.

3. The stop-pawls K K2, when arranged in connection with either one or both ofthe levers G G2, and the toothed wheel E, or their respective equivalents, so as to operate substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

SAMUEL S. LAWS. Witnesses:

WM. T. MCNAMARA, ALBERT W.'BRoWN. 

